Quality is more than a promise

When it comes to stainless steel, precision is essential. Dr. Karina Geenen explains what we are doing at Kuhn Special Steel as a result for quality assurance. Continue reading

Many applications for our high-quality stainless-steel components have one thing in common: the tolerances are negligible. With good reason – for example, if the parts of a ship’s engine do not fit together perfectly, this can cause great difficulties during assembly and operation. Dr. Karina Geenen, quality engineer and project manager in the field of research and development at Kuhn Special Steel, explains how we guarantee an optimal end product with our measuring machines and why we train highly specialised experts for this.

Our customers often want to know exactly: how high, wide, long are the components that we manufacture for them from high-quality stainless steel? “In industries such as engine technology, power engineering or the food industry, a perfect fit of all components is critical for long-lasting and low-maintenance operation,” says Dr. Karina Geenen. “That’s why we use modern and high-performance measuring machines in Radevormwald – on the shop floor and in tailor-made, air-conditioned test rooms. “The complexity of stainless-steel components and narrow dimensional tolerances often pose a particular challenge in quality testing. The solution: sensors and modules that detect the measurements and dimensions of virtually every workpiece to the nearest micrometre (µm).

Sensitive sensors and modules need the right climate
There are two coordinate measuring machines equipped with such sensing devices at our company. Barbara Schmidt, coordinate measuring technician at Kuhn Special Steel: “Our large measuring machine stands for maximum precision in a climate-controlled room where constant humidity and temperature prevail. “The specified room temperature of 20 degrees may only deviate by a maximum of one degree in 24 hours in order to ensure the comparability of the measurements made. “The LH1210 measuring machine from Wenzel is mainly used for the final inspection of products,” emphasises Dr. Karina Geenen. “In this way, we can prove the maximum compliance with the desired specifications and dimensions at the customer’s request.“


LH1210 from Wenzel

Quick measurement on the shop floor
The use of the large measuring machine is therefore planned in the production process according to the requirements of our customers. But what happens if the workpieces have to be checked promptly during production? Toni Fechler, CNC programmer and soon-to-be coordinate measuring technician at Kuhn Special Steel explains: “For these cases, we have a second, smaller measuring machine directly on the shop floor. “The Zeiss model can test components up to 50 centimetres long, wide, and high. “In this way, we quickly detect any deviations and adapt the production process accordingly. “The best conditions for an optimal end product.


Zeiss model

Special machines need real specialists
Whether large or small, the measuring machines are highly sensitive – and expensive – systems. “For the smaller of the two, you could buy a well-equipped mid-size car,” explains Dr. Karina Geenen. “With the larger of the two measuring machines, we are already in the field of supercars. “Accordingly, specially qualified specialists are also needed to operate them. The employees in the quality assurance department at Kuhn Special Steel invest a lot of time in their own training and development. Dr. Karina Geenen: “We are passionate about creating an optimal end product for our customers. That is why continuous training is so important. Thanks to this commitment, we not only offer outstanding quality, but also the right solutions to prove it.“Many applications for our high-quality stainless-steel components have one thing in common: the tolerances are negligible. With good reason – for example, if the parts of a ship’s engine do not fit together perfectly, this can cause great difficulties during assembly and operation. Dr. Karina Geenen, quality engineer and project manager in the field of research and development at Kuhn Special Steel, explains how we guarantee an optimal end product with our measuring machines and why we train highly specialised experts for this.

Our customers often want to know exactly: how high, wide, long are the components that we manufacture for them from high-quality stainless steel? “In industries such as engine technology, power engineering or the food industry, a perfect fit of all components is critical for long-lasting and low-maintenance operation,” says Dr. Karina Geenen. “That’s why we use modern and high-performance measuring machines in Radevormwald – on the shop floor and in tailor-made, air-conditioned test rooms. “The complexity of stainless-steel components and narrow dimensional tolerances often pose a particular challenge in quality testing. The solution: sensors and modules that detect the measurements and dimensions of virtually every workpiece to the nearest micrometre (µm).

Sensitive sensors and modules need the right climate
There are two coordinate measuring machines equipped with such sensing devices at our company. Barbara Schmidt, coordinate measuring technician at Kuhn Special Steel: “Our large measuring machine stands for maximum precision in a climate-controlled room where constant humidity and temperature prevail. “The specified room temperature of 20 degrees may only deviate by a maximum of one degree in 24 hours in order to ensure the comparability of the measurements made. “The LH1210 measuring machine from Wenzel is mainly used for the final inspection of products,” emphasises Dr. Karina Geenen. “In this way, we can prove the maximum compliance with the desired specifications and dimensions at the customer’s request.“


LH1210 from Wenzel

Quick measurement on the shop floor
The use of the large measuring machine is therefore planned in the production process according to the requirements of our customers. But what happens if the workpieces have to be checked promptly during production? Toni Fechler, CNC programmer and soon-to-be coordinate measuring technician at Kuhn Special Steel explains: “For these cases, we have a second, smaller measuring machine directly on the shop floor. “The Zeiss model can test components up to 50 centimetres long, wide, and high. “In this way, we quickly detect any deviations and adapt the production process accordingly. “The best conditions for an optimal end product.


Zeiss model

Special machines need real specialists
Whether large or small, the measuring machines are highly sensitive – and expensive – systems. “For the smaller of the two, you could buy a well-equipped mid-size car,” explains Dr. Karina Geenen. “With the larger of the two measuring machines, we are already in the field of supercars. “Accordingly, specially qualified specialists are also needed to operate them. The employees in the quality assurance department at Kuhn Special Steel invest a lot of time in their own training and development. Dr. Karina Geenen: “We are passionate about creating an optimal end product for our customers. That is why continuous training is so important. Thanks to this commitment, we not only offer outstanding quality, but also the right solutions to prove it.“

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